Pages

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Meet Nike Cutsumpas, November’s Artist of the Month

“Making textile art with the color and the tactile pleasure of fiber materials is the stimulus and challenge for my creativity. The observation of nature is a boundless source of inspiration. Demonstrating nature in its many forms through a fantasy perspective allows boundless diversity in creativity”.

~Nike Cutsumpas

(Image: Nike at work in her home studio in Danbury, Connecticut)

Meet Nike Cutsumpas (pronounced like “Nicky”, not like NIKE sportswear), an artist with a style as unique as her name. Learn more about this accomplished artist living and working here in our home State.

In Her Own Words:

How long have you been creating art quilts?Since the late 1980’s

How did you get into non traditional quilting?I started out reluctantly with a traditional quilting class, but by the third session I was totally ensnared! I have a graphic design background and I realized commingling that with needle, thread and fabric would be a wonderful combined medium for me. The possibilities were wide open.

(image left: Primeval Green)

What are your goals? The mission we all have as fiber artists - to have it recognized as art rather than a craft through exhibition and education; and to continue to feed my addiction to the process of creating.

What life experiences & skills do you feel you bring to your art? What inspires you?I have my skills and education as a graphic designer and certainly all the life experiences we gain as we have grown in age. Inspiration comes from the awareness of your surroundings in everyday life and being able to apply that knowledge and those perceptions to your art in some manner - not only from the natural world around us , but from the enthusiasm of my fellow artists and the graphic exposure we all have from current life.

How would describe your artistic style?My work tends to be graphic and with bold colors.

Where do you do most of your artwork? I took over the guestroom on the lower level and have insidiously commandeered the ping-pong table . . very handy!

What are you most proud of when it comes to your artwork?I am proud of the skills and techniques I have acquired with time; the ability to be able to solve a challenge and be happy with the solution.

Which do you enjoy more: the process or the results?The process is what it is all about - and if the result is not satisfactory, then the process, perhaps, was somehow lacking - so you go back to the process and continue until you get it right - that’s the fun of it!!